"Gran Canaria, a mini continent" Top 5 Page for this destination Isla de Gran Canaria by tompt

Isla de Gran Canaria Travel Guide: 478 reviews and 1,132 photos

The rocky coast of Gran Canaria - Isla de Gran Canaria

Although Gran Canaria is a relatively small island it is also referred to as a miniature continent. It has it all, high mountain peaks, woods, green meadows, beaches. The weather can vary from snow in the mountains to beachweather in the touristarea in the south. The island is of vulcanic origin, has a round shape and is about 50 km in diameter. The highest point is the peak of Pozo de Las Nieves at 1,949 metres above sea level.

The dunes and sea at Maspalomas

We visited the island for one week. We rented an appartment in the touristresort Playa del Ingles. Playa del Ingles is a part of the Maspalomas area, an area built for the tourists. There is nothing original here, simply because 40 years ago nobody lived along the south coast. Then they started to develop the area, with its sandy beaches for tourists. You will find hotels, appartments, bungalows and ofcourse the restaurants, bars and shops to go along with that.
Because of this it is also very international here, there are german restaurants, dutch restaurants, italian and more but you will find a few original canarian restaurants. The personal in the restaurants and bars will speak your langage and serve the food you are used to at home. If that is what you like go for it...... but if you don't like that you will have to rent a car to get away to the original canarian villages.

All the plastic is covering the tomato harvest

When you drive inland you will find tourism isn't the only thing the island is living on. Many people earn money from agricultural products like tomato, banana, oranges and more. In the picture you see the valley at San Nicolas de Tolentino. All the gray plastic things are tomato plantations.

You can find more info on the island here:
http://www.grancanaria.com/
For the touristarea Maspalomas (including San Antonio and Playa del ingles):
http://www.maspalomas.com

Last visit to Isla de Gran Canaria: Jan 2005
Intro Updated Mar 4, 2006
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Reviews (46)

Red Flag: No Swimming Allowed; dangerous sea. - Isla de Gran Canaria

Red Flags Warnings Or Dangers (1)

Altough Gran Canaria is a great place to have a beach holiday it can sometimes be dangerous to go for a swim. The island... more travel advice

Caldera de los Marteles - Isla de Gran Canaria

Caldera de los Marteles Off The Beaten Path (4)

This old crater with its good soil is used for farming nowadays. The fields are filled with crop or just plowed. In the... more travel advice

Statue above Artenara - Isla de Gran Canaria

Artenara Off The Beaten Path (4)

Deep in the mountains of the island is the village of Artenara. The area around it is known for its caves. Caves that... more travel advice

Mirador de Guriete Things to Do (17)

From this viewpoint you can see the place where the last Guanches stood up against the spaniards in april 1483. The last... more travel advice

Tourist Traps (3)
See All Don't expect any quiet place
Transportation (6)
See All Ferry
Favorites (5)
See All Drinking water

Travelogues (5)

1 - 4 of 5

Comments (10)

liepaul Jun 24, 2010 at 1:31 AM Report Abuse

Gran Canaria is a big tourist trap. Everybody wants your money!! All the time. I still love the island..
MariePisces Jun 28, 2008 at 2:12 AM Report Abuse

Dead good page :D
Victel Apr 19, 2008 at 3:11 AM Report Abuse

It's less worth seeing now since the "finger of god" broke off 2 years ago in a storm!!!
csm101 Sep 3, 2007 at 5:19 PM Report Abuse

Those in the photo are not tortellini: they are tagliatelle. Tortellini is a filled kind of pasta: they usually have a meat or cheese filling.
tessy May 2, 2006 at 1:30 PM Report Abuse

Great page with lots of very helpful tips!
scottishvisitor Apr 15, 2005 at 8:18 AM Report Abuse

No quiet place & too many timeshare touts Good page enjoyed reading your tips
Maria_75 Feb 6, 2005 at 7:08 AM Report Abuse

What a fantastic great page!!! I'm so happy that you got to see many of the beautiful places around the island. Papas arrugadas con mojo is my favorite meal, and I eat it almost daily now... ;) Greetings from Maria.
catnl Feb 1, 2005 at 12:02 PM Report Abuse

broodje maastricht hehehe:-)) hmmmm all that ymmu food, great page with great tips and pics!
Luchonda Jan 30, 2005 at 4:38 AM Report Abuse

i like the restaurant tips ! cheers!
myriam_c Jan 27, 2005 at 2:41 PM Report Abuse

Heineken en saté met patat ... neen toch !!! :)))